South Korea’s Air force chief resigns after death of female officer

The aftermath of a case of alleged sexual harassment of a female non-commissioned officer (NCO) by a fellow officer is rocking the South Korean Air Force.

Air Force Chief of Staff, Lee Seong Yong, offered his resignation on Friday.

He felt responsible for the circumstances of the case, Lee announced in a statement.

President Moon Jae-In accepted the resignation, according to his office.

The NCO was found dead in May. Investigators assumed that she had committed suicide.

The soldier’s family accuses her superiors of trying to cover up the case.

Earlier on June 2, a military court issued a warrant for the arrest of an air force officer who allegedly molested the NCO in her car on the way to the joint base in the western city of Seosan.

The case was about three months old by then.

The woman with the rank of sergeant had reported the incident, but her superiors had urged her to reach an agreement with the accused, according to South Korean media reports.

They had also not fully informed the Defence Ministry about the case.

On June 3, two of the soldier’s former superiors were relieved of their official duties, the news agency Yonhap reported.

They were to be investigated for neglect of duty and attempted coercion.

Moon had called for a thorough investigation into the case.